How many cases of wrongful detention by ICE have been reported in 2024?

1. What the reporting actually documents: specific lawsuits and individual incidents

Journalistic and legal reporting in 2024 focuses on individual high-profile suits and complaints: Law360 covered a 2024 wrongful-detention lawsuit by Nylssa Portillo Moreno alleging eight months of wrongful custody despite protected status ^[1], and regional advocates and legal groups publicized cases such as a U.S. citizen detained for seven days that resulted in a government settlement ^[5]. These items illustrate the kinds of documented wrongful-detention claims filed in courts and reported by news and advocacy groups, but they are case-level examples rather than an aggregate count ^{[1] [5]}.

2. Reporter tallying and advocacy tracking: partial counts, not a national census

At least one long-form account assembled a state-by-state tally of people who won immigration protection yet remained detained; that reporting identified “at least 34 cases” across Pennsylvania, Georgia, Louisiana, New York, Texas, California and Washington in 2024 and 2025 follow-ups ^[2]. Advocacy organizations tracking releases in Virginia reported that, of 14 tracked individuals who had won protections, ICE continued to detain 13 for at least three months—again a localized metric showing patterns rather than a nationwide total ^[3].

3. Why a single national number is missing from the sources

ICE’s public statistics pages emphasize operational metrics and offer guidance for case review but do not publish an official tally of “wrongful detentions” or a neutral national count of mistaken detentions in 2024; available ICE material points readers to case review and complaint channels without enumerating validated wrongful-detention incidents ^[4]. Independent researchers and legal advocates produce case lists through litigation records and local monitoring; those efforts are partial by design and rely on legal filings, FOIA disclosures, and media reporting ^{[6] [1]}.

4. Different definitions and measurement problems

“Wrongful detention” can mean different things in different sources: unlawful detention of U.S. citizens, continued detention after a person wins legal protection, or detention arising from outdated databases or procedural errors. Cases like the Portillo Moreno lawsuit (alleging denial of recognized protected status) and the NWIRP-documented citizen detention (resulting in settlement) illustrate distinct legal categories that complicate any single count ^{[1] [5]}. Researchers note that data on detention operations and outcomes are difficult to obtain and often require lawsuits or FOIA work to uncover ^[6].

5. Competing perspectives and implicit agendas in the sources

Legal outlets (Law360) tend to present case facts and litigation posture ^[1]. Advocacy groups (ACLU, NWIRP, CAIR Coalition) highlight systemic patterns and bring lawsuits emphasizing constitutional and policy violations—these sources aim to document abuses and press for remedies, which can create selection bias toward publishing the worst or most legally actionable examples ^{[3] [5]}. ICE’s own materials emphasize policy frameworks and remediation pathways without accepting an external label of “wrongful detention” or producing incident-level confirmations ^[4]. Readers should note these differing institutional roles when weighing claims.

6. Practical takeaway for someone seeking a number

If you need a definitive 2024 count, available sources do not provide one; you will find instead: specific lawsuits and settlements (e.g., Portillo Moreno; U.S. citizen Rios) and localized tallies assembled by reporters and advocates (e.g., “at least 34 cases” tracked in certain states) that document patterns but fall short of a comprehensive national figure ^{[1] [5] [2]}. For an authoritative, validated total you would need either ICE to publish validated wrongful-detention incident statistics (not present in the provided material) or a comprehensive FOIA-based aggregation by journalists or researchers (not found in current reporting) ^{[4] [6]}.

If you want, I can: (a) assemble the specific incidents referenced in these sources into a timeline; (b) draft a FOIA request template to seek ICE records on wrongful-detention incidents in 2024; or (c) search for additional 2024 reporting or legal filings that might expand the documented list.